As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds and wreaks havoc all around us, it has become evident that it is not just a public health dilemma of huge proportions, but also a socio-economic tragedy. While at a first glance the virus seems to be a great equalizer, its impacts are far from equal. It has exposed, exacerbated, and exploited the fragile and discriminatory fabric of our societies.
The disturbing images of the nation's migrant workers walking hundreds of kilometers just to reach their homes have brought to light the precarious existence of millions of our informal workers. With barely enforced minimum wages or social security, they were left with no food, shelter, or income. Street vendors, taxi drivers, lift operators, domestic workers, slum dwellers, disabled people with no caregivers, have all had to overwhelmingly bear the brunt of this suffering. With their very means of livelihood involving social contact and stepping out, working from home and social distancing are luxuries they cannot afford. Also, for the thousands of people living in overcrowded slums and shelters, isolation and regular cleanliness is an unattainable idea. They are faced with the combined threats of the virus, hunger, loss of income, abysmal housing, absence of a running water supply, and inadequate health systems. They are forced to make the terrible choice between hunger and infection. It is important to remember that these are not mere statistics, but living breathing human beings.
The pandemic has also shined a spotlight on the limitations of our health architecture. While the rich can opt for private health services with better standards of treatment, the poor with no nutritional security or health insurance are left with meager health facilities bereft of adequate resources. The poor refrain from getting adequate healthcare with the worry that long queues and crowded public hospitals will make them sicker. It has also led to many children missing on their routine vaccines of polio, measles, etc, and in the process retrograding the efforts of many years to fight these deadly diseases.
Illustration by Adarsh Jay
Unwinding of progress in the areas of women’s health, education, rights, and freedoms; is another unfortunate aftereffect. With families spiraling into a dire state of poverty, the number of child marriages and out school students have skyrocketed. Also, in the absence of adequate learning resources, girl students belonging to vulnerable households are often not prioritized. Reports also suggest an alarming surge in the cases of domestic violence.
The shift to remote learning has not been a possibility for millions of students who have no access to uninterrupted electricity, let alone a smartphone or reliable internet connection. It has ballooned the yawning gulf between the tech-empowered and the tech-deprived. Inhospitable household conditions, gender inequality, and a lack of e-learning resources have contributed to unfavorable learning outcomes, further diminishing their economic opportunities in the long run. Also, with the closure of government schools, the education and lives of thousands of children who depended on the mid-day meal scheme, have been left hanging in the air. It has also led to a surge in the number of dropouts and further catapulted an increase in child labor and child abuse. Millions of students are estimated to not return to school, adding to the hundreds of millions who were already out of education.
While some might be able to sail smoothly through this crisis and even hop right back on as the pandemic abates, millions of others lose on multiple fronts—of education, health, income, and employment. This overwhelming disparity between the haves and have nots is a wakeup call for us to re-examine the state of our societies. Despite warning bells ringing over several years, our systems were not equipped. So, it is imperative to take a cue from this disaster and persevere to build a more kind and equal community that upholds the ideals of a civilized society. It is high time that everyone has a better choice than between the devil and the deep sea.
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